Science conference slams 'deeply disturbing' baby gene-editing claim

But scientists and the Chinese government have denounced the supposed finding, and a hospital linked to the research suggested its ethical approval had been forged.

He made his first public comments about his claim to have helped make the world's first gene-edited babies.

"I must apologize, this result was leaked unexpectedly", He Jiankui told a Hong Kong medical conference on Wednesday, as cited by AFP.

As gene-editing technology is at initial stages, it is hard to judge what the consequences of using human embryos could lead to.

The girls' father has HIV, but it is well controlled by medication, so they are at no greater chance of contracting the disease than any other child, says Kiran Musunuru, an associate professor and regenerative biology expert at the University of Pennsylvania. Participants were reportedly told the study was being financed by "state funds", which meant the gene-editing service could be offered "free of charge".

Since then several scientists have reviewed the material that He Jiankui provided to the AP, tests so far are suggested to be insufficient to say editing worked to rule out harm, noting evidence of editing being incomplete, and at least one twin appears to be a patchwork of cells with various changes, nearly as if not editing at all.

A 23-page English translation of an informed consent form for the potential mother said that the costs of the procedure covered by the team would be up to 280,000 yuan (US$40,200) per couple. This couple too carried a gene edited embryo.

"It is seemingly ethically problematic to find these so-called volunteers to do this experiment, because these are people of a more vulnerable group, they could be easily manipulated and affected", Au said, adding that he questioned whether the couples really understood the experiment and knew the risks.

However, since there are no global regulations that outlaw He's actions, his use of CRISPR-cas9 is a clear break with convention. CRISPR has been hailed as an innovation with tremendous potential, but many in the scientific community believe the technology is still experimental and not ready for human application.

"None of the reported work has gone through the peer review process", and the conference is aimed at hashing out important issues such as whether and when gene editing is appropriate, she said.

"The gene-edited twins matter reported by the media has brazenly violated Chinese laws and regulations and breached the science ethics bottom line, which is both shocking and unacceptable", said Xu Nanping, vice minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Xinhua reported. There are several critics who have blamed the lax regulatory structure of the country for allowing such experiments to happen in the first place.

He, who was trained as a bioengineer (completing his doctorate at Rice University in Houston and a post-doctoral fellowship in a prominent lab at Stanford University) seemed taken aback by the firestorm his work has created. The girls were born last month.

The National Health Commission has ordered local officials in Guangdong province to investigate He's actions, and his employer, Southern University of Science and Technology of China, is investigating as well. He was funding his own research.

"Not only do I see this as risky, but I am also deeply concerned about the lack of transparency" around the work, Zhang, a scientist at MIT's Broad Institute, said in a statement.

Although this kind of work is banned in the United States of America, the U.S. scientist said he took part in this work in China.

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